New Plymouth
Translating as ‘Hill of Chiefs’, Puke Ariki was once a pā (fortified village) site, and is now home to the i-SITE, a fab regional museum, a library, a…
Must-see attractions in North Island
Palmerston North
Fans of the oval ball holler about the New Zealand Rugby Museum, an amazing space overflowing with rugby paraphernalia, from a 1905 All Blacks jumper to a…
Palmerston North
Palmerston's North's iconic new landmark is this elegant 194m-long bridge over the Manawatu River – a critical link in a 9km network of cycling and…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Te Awamutu Museum has a superb collection of Māori taonga (treasures) and an excellent display on the Waikato War. The highlight is the revered Te Uenuku …
Whanganui
The elegant old neoclassical Sarjeant Gallery building in Queens Park is closed for earthquake-proofing. In the interim, the gallery's estimable art…
National Tobacco Company Building
Napier
Around the shore at Ahuriri, the National Tobacco Company Building (1932) is arguably the region’s deco masterpiece, combining art-deco forms with the…
Bay of Islands & Northland
One of regional NZ's best museums, this spectacular building shaped like a stingray is on the main road linking Mangawhai village to Mangawhai Heads…
Whanganui
The pick of Whanganui's many glass studios. Watch glass-blowers working, check out the gallery, take a one-day glass-blowing course ($290, four people max…
Coromandel Peninsula
Walk through a mine tunnel, watch a stamper battery crush rock, learn about the history of the Cornish miners and try your hand at panning for gold…
Coromandel Peninsula
Beautiful Cathedral Cove, with its famous gigantic stone arch and natural waterfall shower, is best enjoyed early or late in the day – avoiding the worst…
Rotorua
This magical park of forest giants is 5km southeast of town. From 1899, 170 tree species were planted here to see which could be grown successfully for…
Rotorua
Wander the streets of this living village, where the local Tūhourangi/Ngāti Wāhiao people have resided for centuries, with its homes, stores, cafes and…
Auckland
At this modern, spacious zoo, the big foreigners tend to steal the attention from the timid natives, but if you can wrestle the kids away from the tigers…
Bay of Islands
For 10 days in January 1846, 1600 British troops bombarded 500 Māori warriors hunkered down in a pā (fortress) composed of trenches, tunnels and wooden…
Taupo
Accessible only by boat or kayak, these 14m-high carvings were etched into the cliffs near Mine Bay by master carver Matahi Whakataka-Brightwell in the…
Arai-te-uru Recreation Reserve
Bay of Islands & Northland
Covering the southern headland of the Hokianga Harbour, this reserve offers magnificent views over the harbour and along the wild west coast. A short walk…
North Auckland
A partly unsealed road leads to this 588-hectare reserve at the end of a peninsula. This special place is an open sanctuary for native birds, protected by…
Napier
The beating cultural heart of Napier is the smart-looking MTG – a gleaming-white museum-theatre-gallery space by the water. The MTG showcases live…
Hawke's Bay
The gaggling gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers – Te Kauwae-a-Māui to local Māori – is best visited between early November and late February, when the…
Clapham’s National Clock Museum
Bay of Islands & Northland
This charming collection of 1600 ticking, gonging and cuckooing timepieces is housed in a building shaped as a sundial. There are all manner of kooky and…
Auckland
North Head was a Māori pā and is still a fortress of sorts, with the navy maintaining a presence. It's riddled with tunnels, started at the end of the…
Bay of Plenty
Mataatua is a large, fantastically carved 1875 wharenui (meeting house) that is the centrepiece of Te Mānuka Tūtahi marae (traditional meeting place). A…
Hastings & Around
This hip, inventive winery has a bistro, a gallery, a popular summer Saturday morning farmers market (one of the first in NZ) and an amphitheatre for…
Rotorua
The Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre is dedicated to conserving threatened NZ raptors, particularly the karearea (NZ falcon). Learn about the birds…
Bay of Islands
It's a bit of a drive (30km) and a short steep walk down to the beach, but worth the effort. There's not a lot of beach when the tide is high so time your…
City Centre & Britomart
The 'mighty Civic' (1929) is one of only seven ‘atmospheric theatres’ remaining in the world and a fine survivor from cinema’s Golden Age. The auditorium…
North Auckland
Straddling the head of Mahurangi Harbour, Mahurangi Regional Park is a boater's paradise incorporating areas of coastal forest, pā sites and a historic…
City Centre & Britomart
The impossible-to-miss Sky Tower looks like a giant hypodermic giving a fix to the heavens. Spectacular lighting renders it space age at night and the…
Wellington
Academy Award–winning special-effects and props company Weta Workshop has been responsible for bringing the likes of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit,…
Wellington
New Zealand might be a young country but it has one of the oldest continuously functioning parliaments in the world and has chalked up more than its share…
Rotorua
Thermal activity comes no cheaper than at this free public park that runs along the western edge of the town centre. It's a wonderful juxtaposition of…
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
Known as Tikitere to the Ngāti Rangiteaorere people, this highly active geothermal reserve lies 16km northeast of Rotorua on the Whakatāne road (SH30). It…
Wellington
Housed in the monumental old library in Civic Sq (the new library is next door), Wellington’s much-loved City Gallery does a cracking job of securing…
City Centre & Britomart
Built in 1856, this stately building was the colony's seat of power until 1865 when Wellington became the capital. The construction is unusual in that it…
Rotorua
Constructed in a striking faux-Tudor style, this museum, which began life in 1908 as an elegant spa retreat called the Bath House, has been closed since…
Tauranga
The city's pre-eminent gallery stages challenging exhibitions of thought-provoking contemporary work. The building itself is a former bank, though you’d…
Coromandel Peninsula
Long, lovely Hahei Beach is made more magical by the view to the craggy islands in the distance. From the southern end of Hahei Beach, it’s a 15-minute…
Parnell & Newmarket
The Wintergarden, with its fernery, tropical house, cool house, cute cat statue and neighbouring cafe, is in the Auckland Domain.
Rotorua & the Bay of Plenty
The village of Te Wairoa was once the main staging post for Victorian-era tourists coming to visit the famous Pink and White Terraces. When Mt Tarawera…
Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
Mt Ruapehu (2797m) is the North Island's highest mountain and one of the world’s most active volcanoes. One year-long eruption began in March 1945,…
